Trent Lott (3) Former Republican Senator (MS, 1989-2007) Mississippi
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OnTheIssues.org BOOK REVIEW:

A better title for this book would be "Guilty Without Trial" or "Guilty Without Facts." Coulter declares all liberals guilty -- guilty of everything bad with America -- and then substantiates that guilt without presenting evidence -- just with further declarations rather than facts.

For example, John Dean wrote a book called Blind Ambition, cited on pp. 124-5 by Coulter as evidence of "another left-wing hoax." During Watergate, John Dean was Nixon's White House counsel; after Nixon fired him, he declared himself independent, but has never identified as a liberal or left-wing. Sure, maybe John Dean got the facts wrong -- he claimed Nixon planted evidence that Alger Hiss was a Soviet spy -- but it's just not plausible to group that as "another left-wing hoax." Coulter sounds like she means "bad guy" anytime she says "liberal" and "really bad guy" anytime she says "left-wing" -- her words don't mean what she is actually saying.

And on the facts of the Alger Hiss case, too, Coulter just asserts opinions as if they are facts. She claims (pp. 124-5), "Unfortunately for Dean's shocking exposé, decrypted Soviet cables were declassified in 1995, proving that Hiss had been a Soviet spy." That assertion is her opinion -- not settled fact. When the Soviet Union collapsed and its archives were opened, Richard Nixon and Alger Hiss himself asked for evidence one way or the other -- some experts claimed the evidence showed Alger Hiss was indeed a Soviet spy, while other experts claim the evidence shows no such thing. The official Russian version (not the Soviet Union version, but the post-Soviet Russians) says Alger Hiss was not ever a Soviet agent. Coulter is entitled to an opinion on this issue -- but she should state it as opinion, not as fact.

Even when Coulter does cite actual facts, she selects her facts very carefully. That's not quite the same as "lying," but it's pretty close. For example, she writes (p.126-7):

"There was only one true kiss-and-tell book on the Clinton administration, written by retired FBI agent Gary Aldrich…. Three other Clinton insiders wrote books during his administration, but none were kiss-and-tell books…. The first insider account was a flattering 1997 book by pollster Dick Morris, Behind the Oval Office. Morris called Clinton 'a great president and a great man' in his book and even said that Hillary was 'warm, decent, sincere and sensitive.' "

Yes, each of those facts are technically true in isolation -- but very carefully selected and arranged. Dick Morris did write a flattering book about Clinton "during his administration," but he wrote a very UN-flattering book, Because He Could, after Clinton's administration. Yes, Dick Morris admired Hillary in that book, but he wrote another book about Hillary later, Rewriting History, which rescinded any and all admiration. Those two books were written in 2004 and 2005 respectively, several years before this Coulter book -- so she has no excuse about omitting those books other than hiding behind the isolated fact about who "wrote books during his administration." There were plenty of kiss-and-tell books written during Clinton's administration, too -- OnTheIssues has even reviewed these two: Partners in Power, by Roger Morris in 1999; Hillary's Choice, by Gail Sheehy, in 2000 -- so there Coulter's isolated fact has to hang on the careful definition of who counts as "Clinton insiders," by which manipulation she excludes Gary Aldrich, above, too. Coulter's more general point here is that media insiders are liberal and therefore won't bash Clinton in books -- but the books I cite bash Clinton and are written by media insiders -- Coulter hides behind careful wording to draw a false conclusion.

Now, let's move on to the no less politicized issue of Coulter's book cover. Coulter comments (p. 228) that conservatives are more attractive than liberals, for both men and women; she says we all had to "pretend the unathletic fat kid from Arkansas was a dreamboat… For years we'd been told how unbelievably sexy Bill Clinton is." Coulter contributes to this debate with her book covers, which display a clear trend of more body exposure over the years:

Coulter's 2011 book, "Demonic," has no picture at all; the trend-spotting reader is left to assume that her original cover art exposed too much for the censors, and therefore the picture was removed.

In any case, Coulter has a lot to say about everything, including physical appearance, and this book is as good as any to get the full range of her opinions. If you feel you HAVE to read one Coulter book, read this one -- but it's much better to watch her on TV or hear her on the radio, where she can state her opinion and no one expects any substantiation.

-- Jesse Gordon, editor-in-chief, OnTheIssues.org, July 2012

OnTheIssues.org excerpts:(click on issues for details)

Civil RightsAnn Richards: Announced when appointees were gay; accused of being lesbian.
Bob Barr: Gave speech to CCC, a segregationist group.
Lynn Woolsey: Revoke Boy Scout charter for ban on gay scoutmasters.
Robert Byrd: Former member of the Ku Klux Klan.
Trent Lott: Praised segregationist Strom Thurmond at birthday party.
Trent Lott: Gave speech to CCC, a segregationist group.

CorporationsDick Cheney: OpEd: Halliburton didn't tell investors of accounting change.
Dick Cheney: Gave 77% of his income to charity while Vice President.

War & PeaceBill Clinton: 1998: They called me 'obsessed' for going after bin Laden.
John Kerry: OpEd: Kerry's attitude was "I'm a vet! I know war & peace!".
John Kerry: OpEd: Lied about being in Cambodia on 12/24/1968.
Newt Gingrich: Supported Clinton's 1998 attack on Osama bin Laden.
Sarah Palin: Our troops are out on a task that is from God.
Trent Lott: Supported Clinton's 1998 attack on Osama bin Laden.